Consequences
by Lady aracne
Summary: Written for the NFA Secret Santa exchange. Every case they solve has consecuences for Gibb's team some of them are ... deadly. TIVA McAbby. This story is now complete! Thank you for reading.
1. Chapter 1

**A Secret Santa Story for No1bean (Rach)**

**From: Cristalweb (Lady Aracne)**

**McAbby/TIVA**

**Rating: PG**

**Words: 2745.**

**Title: Consequences**

**Merry Christmas Rach! I really hope you like your present!**

**Consequences**

**The pounding on the door made its way into her brain as she tried to wake up, totally against her ****will; she was far too comfortable cuddling next to Tim's warm body, his arm keeping her close to him, paradise!**

**But the door, someone was at the door.**

**Abby disentangled herself from Tim's hug and stood up from the bed.**

"**Coming!" **

**She zigzagged through the various pieces of computer equipment that cluttered Tim's apartment until she reached the offending door and opened it.**

"**Tim! Hurry Ton.. Abby?!"**

**Ziva David stood outside the door, her face transfixed with worry. Ziva froze and her eyes went wide as they swept Abby up and down. Abby was wearing a set of black pajamas covered with little purple and pink skulls, at three o'clock in the morning in McGee's apartment**

**"Ziva, are you okay?" Abby asked, trying to snap the Israeli from her trance**

**"Oh God, Tony! Abby, where's Tim? Something is wrong with Tony," Ziva said very fast, coming into the room.**

**"Tony? But what's..." Abby couldn't finish the sentence before a piercing scream came from the bedroom behind them, making both women jump.**

"**McGee!" Abby screamed as the****y ran towards the man she loved with all her heart.**

**Timothy McGee was curled up on his bed clutching his stomach, his forehead covered with sweat, screaming in pain.**

"**Tim, what's wrong?" **

**"Not him too!" Ziva thought, grabbing Abby by the shoulders. "Tony is in the same condition; he is in my car downstairs. That's why I cam here for help; we were just a block away."**

**  
"Oh Ziva, we have to get them to a hospital right now!" **

"Come on, Abby, help me get Tim downstairs."

"Come on, Timmy, we have to get you to a doctor. Come on, help us," Abby urged McGee as he tried to stand up.

"Zi...va? What?" he muttered as another spasm hit him, bringing him down to his knees. "Oh God, what's happening?" Tim thought in agony.

"McGee, please try to walk; Tony needs help too," Ziva said, pulling him up again with Abby's assistance.

They **managed**** to half carry and half drag McGee to Ziva's car where Tony was ****curled**** up in pain on the back seat. **

"This is a nightmare," Ziva said, getting into the driver's seat while Abby pushed Tim next to Tony and closed the door. 

"**Step on it Ziva! This can't be a coincidence."**

"**Of**** course not, put on your seat belt Abby."**

**Less than ten minutes later, Abby was yelling for help at the emergency entrance of Washington's Memorial Hospital. In no time both Tony and Tim were rushed into the ER.**

**About half an hour later Gibbs arrived****, followed closely by Ducky, who actually walked right past Abby and Ziva straight into the treatment room.**

**Abby jumped at the sight of Gibbs and almost strangled him with an Abby-crushing hug.**

**"Oh, Gibbs, Gibbs, something is very wrong with Timmy and Tony; they are screaming in pain, Gibbs!"**

"**Ziva?"**

**"I lost a bet with Tony, so he took me to watch a horrible horror movie: Halloween something. We were on our way to my house when he started clutching his stomach, screaming in pain; he was nauseous and delirious," the beautiful Mossad officer said, her eyes bright with tears. "I realized we were almost at McGee's apartment building so I decided to ask him for help and..." **

**"And when I opened the door and saw Ziva, McGee started screaming like crazy. It was horrible," Abby finished, pearly tears running down her pale face.**

**A heavy silence settled between the three of them****, they turned at the same time to see Ducky walk out from the emergency wing.**

**"Talk to me, Ducky." **

"They are running tests, Jethro; this is not an instant thing. What I can say for sure is that they both were poisoned. Timothy cannot stop throwing up; his doctor is worried about his esophagus starting to bleed."

Abby gasped, but said nothing.

"Anthony is in excruciating pain, but hasn't given up to nausea yet; but I am sure he will. Until we know exactly what it is they took, we cannot do much more. I can tell you it was not cyanide, no almond smell, but that's all."

"Can we see them?" Abby asked, looking at Ziva, whose eyes mirrored how worried she was.

"I am sorry, Abigail; no, you can't. The doctors are running tests that need privacy.

"This is what we do. Ziva, you are coming with me to NCIS. We have to collect anything they might have eaten. It's pretty safe to say that whatever they took was ingested, right Doctor?" 

**Ducky nodded**

**"Abby, as soon as you have authorization, get in there and gather everything they had with them and head back to the lab. The instant you know anything about this poison, you call Ducky," Gibbs said very fast, looking from one to the other. As he did so, he noticed that Abby was wearing pajamas and smiled at the sight of all those little colored skulls, easing the tension a little. **

"Ziva, with me!" he said, starting to walk for the entrance. Ziva started to follow Gibbs, but as she started to leave, Abby grabbed her in a tight hug.

"I know you care for Tony and how worried you are. I am sure he feels the same about you," the Goth whispered into her ear. 

"**David!" **

**"Coming, Gibbs," Ziva said, mouthing a silent "thank you" to Abby as she rushed after their boss. **

Forty-five minutes later, Abby was allowed inside the private room where Tony and McGee each were occupying a hospital bed. Tim was unconscious; he looked very pale and his lips were cracked and bloody. The nurse standing next to him was busy working on his IV line and didn't turn around. Tony was agitated and curled into a fetal position while another nurse massaged his back.

A short, olive-skinned man moved from one bed to the other, giving orders and writing on a clipboard.

"Doctor Rasha?" Abby asked. "I am Abby Scuito, from NCIS' lab; I was asked to..."

"Oh yes, Ducky told me you were coming. Everything they had on is in that bag," he said, pointing to a white plastic bag placed in a corner of the room.

Tony tried to sit up at the sound of Abb**y's voice, getting very upset.**

**"Ziva? Ziva!" he almost screamed. **

Abby ran to his side, forgetting the plastic bag. "It's Abby, Tony; stay still," she said sweetly, pushing him back down with the aid of his attending nurse.

"Abs? What's going on?" Tony asked, clutching his stomach again. "Oh, God!"

"We are sedating him right now!" Dr. Rasha said to the nurse. "Miss Scuito, you have to leave, please."

"No, I can't leave. I need to be here for them. I need to _**know**_** they are going to be okay!" Abby said, grabbing Dr. Rasha by the lapels of his white coat. **

He could see the young Goth woman before him was very upset. He was the head of Emergency Services and knew how hard it was for relatives to deal with the famous "not knowing."

"Miss Scuito, calm down, please. We are doing everything we can to help Mr. McGee and Mr. DiNozzo. Ducky said you are the very best in what you do. That is how you can help them.

Abby lowered her head, ashamed, and nodded. 

"**You are right, Doctor; it's just that I am so worried." **

She turned to Tim's bed. He looked so sick; her heart ached inside her chest: she loved him so much. She slowly placed her hand on his forehead.

"How is he, Doctor? I will leave in a moment, just please tell me."

"He is in bad shape, loosing fluids very fast. We have to wait and see. The Elisa test shall be ready in a few minutes, and then we will know what to do," he said softly, handing Abby the plastic bag.

"Thank you."

Abby clutched her charge to her chest and exited the room. Ducky was waiting for her outside and two seconds later Dr. Rasha stepped out too, a yellow folder in hand.

"We have the results. It's not good. Both agents were poisoned with Ricin; we can't tell how much." 

**Abby paled even more. Grabbing Ducky's cell phone from his waist in a swift movement, she quickly dialed Gibbs' cell number, and started to speak very fast as soon as the call was answered. **

"Gibbs! It's Ricin; this poison starts showing effects six to eight hours after ingestion. It has to be something they ate right before we headed out. Look for something on Tony's desk; they were working together when I took Timmy from him."

Both doctors were looking at her in awe while she explained **to**** a no-doubt astonished Gibbs that Ricin had no known treatment and it was up to his agents' strength and the amount of poison they had ingested if they make it through the next thirty-six hours. They managed to hear Gibbs' roar of fury through the cellular phone and the demand that Abby returned to the lab, as the beautiful scientist threw the phone to Ducky and started running for the parking lot. Ziva's car was still there, she knew, and the keys were left inside as far as she remembered**. 

**Gibbs and Ziva gathered everything they could find in the squad room that was edible and took it to Abby's lab. Ten minutes later she arrived and started working as fast as she could, taking prints, running samples, performing every test she could possibly think of. **

"As soon as you get the source of the Ricin, call me," Gibbs growled before disappearing through the door.

"Abby, how are they?" Ziva asked, letting down her usual strong demeanor.

"Not well; this is a nasty one Ziva. Tony is hurting **badly and Tim is so weak. The worst part is that there is no antidote." **

"Abby I …" It was so difficult for the Mossad officer to let her guard down and open up anyway, but this time she was really worried. Roy, the man she had come to love in a really short time, had died and now Tony was in the same danger. She needed to talk to someone and Abby had reached for her.

"I know, Ziva; you have feelings for Tony, isn't it?" Abby asked without taking her eyes from her computer screen where dozens of finger prints flashed one after the other.

"Yes, I do. I don't know how it happened, or when, but I can't deal with losing Tony. I love him Abby, I really love him," Ziva said, almost in tears, sinking herself in Abby's opened arms. They remained like that for a few seconds sharing the pain they both felt, until…

Bling!

"This can't be right," Abby said, looking at the name flashing on her screen. A match had been found for one of many sets of prints collected from an empty Krispy Kreme cardboard box.

"Karen Bright? That's not possible, Abby; she is in jail."

"I know, we have to tell Gibbs."

"Tell me what?" Gibbs had walked back into the lab carrying a Caf-Pow and a paper coffee cup which he handed to Ziva.

"Look, Boss All mighty."

Gibbs followed Abby's gaze on to the screen and he rushed out from the lab so fast that they thought he had vanished into thin air.

Morning found Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Ziva David waiting outside the Krispy Kreme store closest to NCIS headquarters. As the employees started to arrive, they both checked them out against a Polaroid picture of a very thin woman with small but ice cold blue eyes. The State Correctional had faxed it in very early that same morning. Karen Bright looked quite different now than she did when she was arrested for more than twenty-five murders, including that of her husband, Charles Bright, two years previous.

Ziva pointed at a woman walking calmly towards them; it was her!

"I knew you'd find me soon enough," Karen Bright said in a poisonous voice. "I don't care Agent Gibbs; I did what I intended to do."

"Take her in, Ziva."

Ziva David took out her handcuffs and placed them tightly around the woman's hands.

Ziva had to use all her self restraint not to take out her beloved knife and kill the serial killer smiling before her in the interrogation room. Gibbs remained standing, trying very hard to remain calm himself. Ducky had called minutes before; both Tony and Tim were in pretty bad shape.

"Oh, don't look so intrigued, Agent Gibbs. My escape was well planned. For almost one and a half years I thought of nothing more than to make you pay. Thanks to you and your people I lost my kids and my freedom; so I decided to take your kids, that is your team. I know I am going back to a Maximum security and I don't care. I made all of you suffer and that's what I wanted," she said before retreating into a stone silence.

Fornell was waiting outside with an armed escort to take Karen Bright to a special facility for highly dangerous criminals. Gibbs couldn't stop thinking that whatever happened in the next hours, the insane woman had hurt his team more than she will ever know.

"Come on, Ziva, we are needed else where," Gibbs said, stepping out of the room while his friend and rival Tobias Fornell took charge of their prisoner.

"I can't understand how she did it, Gibbs. She is no ordinary criminal, and security must have been tight," Ziva said while they walked toward NCIS parking lot. Abby was already there waiting for them.

"I will find out, Officer David, that is a promise; but now we are going to see Tony and Tim. They are going to make it, and that's a fact!"

When they arrived to the hospital, Ducky was waiting for them outside the Intermediate Unit.

"Timmy? Tony?" Abby asked, looking at his somber expression; Ziva just stared at him not trusting her voice.

"Timothy has been moved into the ICU, he is losing fluids faster than we can replace them. His esophagus is bleeding due to the violent vomiting he endures every minute he is awake my dear; I am so sorry," Ducky answered, reaching to hug the scared Goth.

"Oh no, no, no, no," Abby cried into Ducky's neck.

"What about Tony?" Ziva managed to ask from behind Gibbs, who was looking devastated.

"Anthony is in better shape. His nausea is less violent and his pain has subsided a bit; thankfully his stomach is used to junk food," Ducky continued as he read from a chart, still holding a crying Abby at the same time.

Gibbs stepped forward and managed to remove Abby from the good doctor.

"McGee is tough, Abs; he will make it," Gibbs said in his best Gibbs-tone.

Abby stopped crying at once and turned to face her boss. "You are right oh great one. Timmy is a strong man and he would never leave me alone."

"Abby?" Gibbs looked at her intrigued. He thought McGee and Abby were no longer an item; not for a long time.

"It's no use to deny it Gibbs. I broke rule 12 in every possible way, and I love Timmy with all my heart."

Gibbs smiled at the pale young woman he loved as the daughter he no longer had.

"You tell him that, Abs. I am sure that's all McGee needs to get better."

Ziva turned to face Ducky, not wanting to wait any longer.

"Ducky, may I see Tony?"

"Of course, my dear; he was sleeping when I last checked on him. Dr. Rasha has been kind enough to let me be involved."

"Go on, Ziva, tell him," Abby whispered as the beautiful Mossad officer walked past her towards Tony's room. Ziva acknowledged her with a tiny smile.

"Not them too!" muttered Gibbs, slightly annoyed.

"Not yet, but soon, my Master," Abby said, smiling to her boss.

"There goes rule 12 again," Gibbs added, throwing his hands up in surrender.

"Well, Jethro, there are things that can not be helped," Ducky finished, taking Abby's arm.

"Come on, Abigail, let us go and see our young Timothy."

**"****Lead ****the ****way ****Duckster****."**

**TBC  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N Here you go , a very very fast update, I really hope you like it, its the first time I write TIVA so I hope you aprove. Read on and pleaseee Review, I love reviews_**

Consequences Chapter 2

Ziva David stepped into Tony's hospital room very slowly. She felt like a stranger in her own skin. She was always strong and unmoving, the perfect image of self control; and now, the mere thought of Tony hurting was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

The room was dimly lit. Tony occupied the right side bed. Not 48 hours had gone by, and she still couldn't quite believe everything that had happened in such a short time. As she got closer, Ziva could see that even though Tony was sleeping, his brow was frowned and tiny pearls of sweat glistened all over his forehead and neck. She looked around, searching for something to clean him up, finally finding some paper towels.

"You are in pain, Tony, I can tell," she said sweetly while she dried the cold sweat covering Tony. He shifted at her touch but he didn't wake.

"Abby says I have to tell you," Ziva said, looking away from his face.

"The thing is, I have no idea how to tell you."

Tears were now flowing freely from her dark eyes; she made no attempt to wipe them away.

"Tell … me… what?"

Ziva almost fell from the chair she had settled herself into. Tony was looking straight at her.

"I … well. How are you feeling Tony?" she asked, deeply embarrassed. It was a good thing she didn't blush easily.

"Not good," he whispered painfully. Realizing his pain was probably increasing, Ziva moved to press the emergency button next to Tony's hand, but he grabbed her hand before she could reach it.

"No … Ziva, no."

"But Tony, you are in pain, yes?" she asked, alarmed.

"The nurse… she said … they can't give me more of whatever … they gave me." Tony squeezed Ziva's hand so hard his fingers turned white; she didn't flinch.

"Can I get you something? Anything?" her eyes clouded again; she felt so useless.

"Just stay … please?" Tony said, releasing her hand.

"Of course I'll stay, but there must be something I can do to help."

"Tell me… what Abby told you to tell me."

Ziva blanched, realizing he had heard her from the start. She had been caught; maybe Abby was right, it was time to talk.

"I was so frightened when you started screaming, I thought you were going to die right there in my car, and I know how fragile our lives are, and..." She swallowed hard as she felt Tony's hand grabbing hers again.

"Tony, I am in love with you!" she blurted out, trying to stand and run out from the room at the same time, but Tony wouldn't let her go.

"I love you too, David," he said, his smile growing wider by the second. "I asked you out to tell you."

Ziva just smiled back, beaming at him.

"You are not joking, yes?"

"I am telling… the truth. Tell her McGee …" Tony answered, turning to look towards the empty bed for the first time since Ziva arrived.  
His face became ghostly pale as he tried to get up. Ziva immediately held him down by the shoulders.

"Probie? Where is he? Ziva, tell me he isn't dead."

"McGee is not dead, Tony; please calm down."

"But, he was here, what happened?" He looked at Ziva, pleading for answers. "Where is he?"

"They moved him to the ICU, Abby is with him," she said, caressing his sweaty face. Tony relaxed again with her touch and softly kissed her fingers, making the Israeli tremble.

"Oh well, Abby will get him out of there. He wouldn't dare leave her alone; Probie is totally in love with Ab …" the last part of the sentence was almost a whisper. The morphine pump attached to his IV blipped as a new dose of the analgesic was administered and Tony drifted back to sleep. Ziva smiled to herself.

"I am sure you are right, my love. Abby has a way to always get what she wants, especially when McGee is involved," she thought with a confidence she hadn't felt since all the trouble started.

Two floors up, the situation was still grim. Gibbs and Abby were told to stay put in the waiting room while Ducky disappeared behind the ICU crystal doors. About 10 minutes later he returned with another doctor at his side.

"Jehtro, Abigail, this is Dr. Melba Patakis, head of the Intensive Care Unit," Ducky said, introducing the bright-looking woman standing next to him.

"Pleasure, Dr. Patakis," said Gibbs, offering his hand. Abby just nodded.

"Ducky tells me you are here for Mr. McGee."

"Please, can we see him?" Abby asked in a very small voice.

"I am afraid not; he is in surgery. His esophagus was bleeding so much he was at risk of choking on his own blood. Our vascular surgeon is taking care of that. Mr. McGee had a very severe reaction to the poison. We are doing everything we can to help him," Melba Patakis said, looking kindly towards Abby, whose eyes were bright with tears.

"I have some experience with Ricin poisoning. Some years ago there was an explosion at a castor beans processing plant, and many of the workers were exposed to poisonous vapors. There is a rather cruel saying in regard of this particular substance, which I found out it is quite accurate. If a patient is not dead in 36 to 72 hours, he will probably live. Both your agents are over the 48-hour mark. Dr. Rasha tells me Mr. Dinozzo is reacting slowly but he is not getting any worse, so that's good news," she said, closing the file she had been reading from.

"How long until we know for sure?" Gibbs asked, putting an arm around Abby's shaking shoulders.

"The surgery will probably go on for and hour or so. He will be placed in an isolated room and we will see. Every hour that goes by allows his body to process and eliminate a little more of the poison. We will keep him well hydrated and full of drugs to prevent vomiting, and the rest is up to him," Dr. Patakis finished.

"Thank you, Melba dear. Do you think Abigail can stay and see him when he is assigned a room?" Ducky asked.

Melba Patakis focused her attention on the young Goth woman before her; she looked on the verge of a panic attack. She smiled kindly before answering.

"Of course, Ducky. I'll tell his attending nurse to let you know when he is settled. I'll check on him later today."

"Thank you, my dear."

"A pleasure. I have to go now, goodbye," she said, shaking Gibbs' and Abby's hands, before giving Ducky a peck on the cheek.

Gibbs' cell phone rang, making Abby jump with fright.

"Gibbs... I see, I'll be right there."

"What is it, Jehtro?" Ducky asked.

"Fornell is waiting for me at Headquarters. He has some information about Karen Bright's escape. I'll get Ziva and go back," he answered, fury rising again inside him.

"I'll stay here, boss man; you don't need me right now," Abby said, taking a seat on one of the couches in the waiting area.

"Okay Abs, call me if there is anything new," Gibbs said, kissing Abby on the top of her head. "Coming Duck?"

"After you, Jethro. I'll come back later Abigail."

Abby watched them leave and sighed, tears flowing quietly from her amazingly olive eyes. It was very unlike her, but for once she had not given in to hysterics. Instead, she was doing everything in her power to control herself. She owed that to Timmy; it was her turn to be strong.

Sister Ruth always told her to pray when she felt desperate, so she closed her eyes and recited every prayer she remembered. Tim needed all the help he could get.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Consequences Chapter 3

Abby seriously thought about destroying the clock hanging on the wall in front of her. It was going unbelievably slow; she was getting desperate for news on McGee's condition.

Gibbs and Ziva were back in NCIS headquarters talking with Fornell. She was so angry; Karen Bright should have never escaped. Ziva had called her a little while back.

According to the FBI, the witch had bribed one of the guards to let her work in the computer area of the jail. She had waited a while before she changed the status in her file from "High Risk Prisoner" to "Minimum Security Risk".

Fornell told them that she had waited until the prison hired a new director at the beginning of the year to request an early release, which incredibly was granted. Karen Bright had been a model prisoner from the day she was incarcerated until the day of her release.

Gibbs had been beyond furious; Fornell as well. Surely the prison would be changing directors in the very near future, Abby thought. She stood from her couch for the tenth time and walked to the nurse station once again. This time, however, there was a male nurse she hadn't seen before standing next to the counter.

"Miss Sciuto?" he asked kindly.

"Yes, that's me," she answered, trying to read on the man's face if he had good or bad news for her.

"Mr. McGee is out of surgery; he is stable. Dr. Patakis told me to take you to his room. You can keep him company if you like."

"Oh yes, yes I want to!" Abby said cheerfully. "Let's go!"

The nurse laughed at the sight of the beautiful Goth, pulling the sleeve of his scrubs to make him walk faster.

"Okay, okay, Miss, this way please," he said, taking the lead so Abby could follow him.

Tim was in the farthest room of the ICU floor. An IV line was attached to each one of his arms, heart electrodes kept the monitor blipping reassuringly, and an oxygen mask covered his pale face.

"Oh Timmy," Abby said, getting next to his bed. She was afraid of touching him, he looked so weak.

"You can touch him, Miss, it's alright. He should wake up in a short while. He won't be able to talk much, his esophagus was cauterized and there is still some swelling," his nurse said, checking the monitors above the bed.

"Thank you …"

"Keller, Ben Keller," he said, smiling. "Everything looks fine here; I'll leave you alone for a moment. If you need anything press the red button over here," he added, pointing to a small red button over Tim's head before leaving the room.

Abby sat in the rather uncomfortable chair next to the bed and gently touched Tim's hand. He opened his eyes slowly the moment he felt her next to him.

"You are awake!" Abby said, squeezing his fingers softly.

"Abby?" Tim whispered through the mask.

"Yes, Timmy, here I am. Try not to talk, you just came out from surgery," she said sweetly.

Tim nodded. He felt so happy seeing her next to him. Abby made him forget how dizzy he was or the sensation of nausea building in his stomach.

"You are going to be alright, Timmy, there is no way you are getting rid of me. I love you; you know that, right?"

"I do, Abs, and I love you too," he mouthed. It was a good thing Abby knew how to read lips. Even if she used to say it was not her strongest asset, for now it was a blessing; he couldn't take the oxygen mask off.

"Tony?"

"He is doing better. His doctor says he will be fine; oh and I got news for you, Tim, Ziva told him!" Abby said with a mischievous smile, gently rubbing his hand.

He nodded.

Tim closed his eyes, fighting the nausea with all his might; he didn't want to throw up again, especially in front of Abby.

"You are feeling nauseous again. I'll call Ben, that's your nurse," Abby said, pressing the call button. He looked kind of green to her.

In no time the door opened and both Ben and Dr. Patakis entered the room. She took a quick look at her patient and said, "Ok, Mr. McGee, I have something here that will help you; it's a new drug but has proven very useful in extreme cases, like yours," she added, adding a bluish liquid to one of his IV lines. "It will make you feel sleepy, but it will stop you from vomiting again."

"Dr. Melba?" Abby asked, looking at Tim's pale face. Ben had removed the oxygen mask, letting her see how sick he looked. His eyes were sunken, framed by deep purple circles, his lips all cracked and bloody, his skin color was a nasty gray. She was scared, really scared.

"Yes, Miss Sciuto?"

"Oh, please just call me Abby," Abby said quietly. "Doctor, is he going to be ok?"

Melba Patakis looked in to the Goth's teary eyes. She wished she could tell Abby that McGee was out of danger and on his way to recovery, but she was not sure yet.

He was in no danger of dehydration now. They had him hooked to a double pack of IV fluids, but his esophagus had been in such a state that the vascular surgeon advised her not to let him throw up again; the repairs would fail if more gastric acid came through.

"If we can control the vomiting, he will be alright, Abby."

"He has many allergies, you know?"

"Yes, Ducky told me, and that's probably why his reaction was so severe," Melba said, checking on her patient again. Tim was now half asleep, but getting restless.

"Ben, I don't like this," she said as she pressed over Tim's abdomen and he winced in pain. "His abdomen feels rock hard; he is bleeding internally. Get me a gurney; we have to get him into the OR, STAT!" Melba said, raising her voice as she spoke. Abby took a step backwards, fear rising inside her as things started happening like in a nightmare.

Ben rushed out from the room yelling for a gurney. Dr Patakis started unhooking the saline bags from their stands and placing them at Tim's feet on his bed.

Tim started fighting her, trying to sit up, and then like in a horror film he started choking and coughing blood. Abby ran to him and helped Melba to turn him onto his side.

"Oh God, Tim!" she thought as several hands shoved her aside. It had been just a minute, but for Abby time had stopped; the swarm of medical personal that had entered the room after Ben disappeared, taking Timothy McGee with them.

A moment later she found herself holding on to Ducky for dear life. She didn't remember the forensic doctor ever entering the room. She just wanted to scream, but no sound came out from her mouth.

"Abigail; Abby? Calm down dear child," Ducky said, trying to snap her out from the state she was in.

"Tim, he …. He …," she managed to say before darkness mercifully, closed around her. 


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N Here you go, this is the last chapter, I hope you like it, thank you to those had left me reviews, I LOVE them!!!_**

**_Secially for Rach!_**

Consequences Chapter 4

The sound of voices started to become louder in her mind. Some one was calling for her, why? What had happened?

"Abs, wake up, come on."

The voice sounded worried and she obliged. Several pairs of eyes were hovering over her; she blinked twice, trying to clear the bizarre image above her face.

"Gibbs." Abby could now see there were 3 people with her: Ben Keller, Ducky and Gibbs, all surrounded her from above.

"What happened?" she asked, but she didn't wait for the answer; the memory of what has caused her to faint came back with full force when she saw the tiny specks of blood covering her white T-shirt.

"Tim! Where is he? Tim!!!!" she shouted, bolting up from the bed she had been lying on. "Tim!! Tim!"

"Miss Sciuto, please calm down," Ben said trying, to hold her steady. Gibbs got himself right in front of her, forcing their eyes to meet.

"Abby!"

He didn't need to say anything else, the command in his voice was as clear as daylight; Abby stopped yelling instantly and looked back at him.

"They took him again," she said, choking with her own tears.

"We know, my child, Timothy is back in surgery, and there is no news yet," Ducky said softly. "Are you feeling ok?

"Yes, I am sorry, I am fine," Abby answered, sitting up.

"I'll go and see if I can find out something," Ben said, turning around to leave.

"Wait for me, young man, I'll go too," Ducky added, squeezing Abby's hand before joining Ben at the door.

Abby reclined her head on Gibbs shoulder; they remained in silence for a very long time.

"Gibbs?"

"Yes, Abs?"

"Do you know how it feels to want to kill someone?" Abby asked, staring at the wall in front of her.

"I know, and I have Abs," he answered calmly.

"I mean, not work related."

"Remember the man that killed Shannon and Kelly? Well, that was not work related."

"It's just that I am so angry for what she put Tony and Tim through," Abby said, standing.

"You don't have to worry, Abs. Fornell arranged for Karen Bright to be transferred to the Maximum security prison in Florence, Colorado. They say it is as close to hell as you can get."

"Good," she said angrily.

Gibbs looked at her not really surprised with the tone of her answer.

Abby was passionate in her reactions, both with the good and bad things that happened in her life, but especially when it was about someone she cared about. He had come to realize once and for all that his team had no intention of respecting Rule 12 at all.

He smiled to himself; his team was his family and even though he would never say it out loud, he was happy for them - for all of them.

One more hour elapsed without news from the OR. Abby took comfort in an old saying, "No news is good news." Every minute that passed more of the poison was eliminated from Tim's body, and that was a good thing.

She had a lot of time to think about her on and off relationship with Timothy McGee. Sweet Tim; she had taken him for granted so many times before, but not now. Tim was the man she loved and the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Abby hoped she was allowed to do so.

The door suddenly opened and Melba Patakis walked in; she looked very tired.

"I have good news. We managed to stop the bleeding; a small artery ruptured when this first started and had been bleeding slowly since then. With all the damage to his esophagus, the vascular surgeon didn't catch it during the previous surgery, but we fixed it now. He lost a lot of blood and we had to give him 3 units during the procedure. The anti hemetic we gave Mr. McGee earlier today is working well preventing vomiting which is very important, he is back in ICU and will remain for a few days.

"He will be okay, right?" Abby asked, still scared. She hadn't really understood anything Tim's doctor had said after the words, "I have good news."

"He has a good chance now Abby; we are reaching in to the 72 hour window, so the poison will not continue to be active much longer. For now he is in for a long recovery. All his digestive system was quite affected; it will take some time for him to handle solid food."

"Thanks heaven!" Abby said in a whisper.

"Are you sure McGee will not have another crisis?" Gibbs asked

"I wouldn't think so, Agent Gibbs," Melba said, looking a little concerned for Abby.

"As for you, Miss Sciuto, you need to go home and rest; you have been here for 3 days with no sleep or decent food, I presume," she added.

"Oh no, I can't go! Not until I know Tim is out of danger for sure."

"Abs, you are going to do as Doctor Patakis orders. I don't need you to become a patient too, and you can't help McGee if you get yourself sick, right?" Gibbs said, placing his hands on her shoulders. The truth was that Abby was on the verge of a nervous breakdown: she was ghostly pale, shaking all over, and tears just kept rolling down her face.

"But … but…" she muttered.

"Mr. McGee is not having any visitors for the rest of the night; he is in the ICU recovery room," Melba said in a tone that left no room for argument.

"I will take her home, Doctor; she will do as you say," Gibbs added, taking Abby by the arm. "Thank you for everything, Dr. Patakis."

"You are very welcome, Agent Gibbs," she said with a tired smile, watching them leave.

Two Weeks Later

"Come on, Probie, hurry up with that," Tony said, looking annoyed at Tim while he finished with his packing.

Finally they were letting him out of the hospital. He was very thin and pale as a ghost, but he was at last on his way to recovery. Abby and Ziva were looking at them with amusement. It was so good to see them bickering again; the past two weeks had been exhausting for all of them.

Tony took Tim's sports bag from his hand and started walking.

"I'll carry this, McGee; you look like a walking stick these days."

"I know, Tony, you said so about 20 times already," Tim answered, putting his coat on with Abby's help. "Thank you, Abs," he said, turning to look at the beautiful Goth, who was smiling like a Cheshire cat.

"I am so happy to see you healthy again, Timmy."

"I am very happy too, angel," he said, softly kissing her lips.

"Hey! Stop with the fluid exchange you two. We have to get you home, Probie; doctor's orders," Tony said, pulling Tim away from Abby.

"Oh come on, Tony, leave them alone," Ziva said, taking Tony by the hand while they walked towards the parking lot.

"I got a surprise for you in the car, Probilicious."

"I am afraid to ask," Tim said, looking worriedly at Tony's mischievous smile.

Tony's NCIS car was parked close to the entrance; he opened the trunk and shoved McGee's bag inside, taking out at the same time a big white cardboard box.

"Tony, are you insane!?" Tim asked looking in horror at the box filled with Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

"You are way too thin, McGee. You look like Ichabod Crane, you know?"

"Like, who?" Tim asked, pushing to box back to Tony.

"The Headless Horseman, Probie; you need nourishment. Here take them," Tony answered, starting a tug war with the box, each pushing the box towards the other.

"I don't want to see a doughnut again in my life!" Tim said angrily.

"You can't be serious, McGee, doughnuts are a known food group!"

Ziva and Abby just laughed at the scene before them.

Abby looked at them tenderly and smiled; it was wonderful! Things were at last back to normal, and she wouldn't want it any other way.

The End!


End file.
